GENESIS: Age Of Heroes

Prologue

Ellian Gregory: The First Day

2019 - Age of Heroes

The world had changed.

For decades, humanity had lived with the impossible. People who could control fire. People who could lift buildings. People who could heal wounds with a touch or move faster than the eye could follow.

Heroes were no longer just symbols on posters.

They were real.

Governments created power regulations. Hero agencies trained the gifted. Villains became more dangerous. Some people were born with abilities. Others developed strange mutations later in life.

But Ellian Gregory?

He was supposed to be ordinary.

At least, that was what he believed.

---

The alarm clock rang at 6:30 AM.

Ellian opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom.

A normal room.

A normal house.

A normal life.

That was what his parents had always wanted for him.

His room was filled with ordinary things: school books, a desk, a few posters, and a small collection of astronomy magazines. Ellian had always been fascinated by space. Something about the stars felt familiar, even though he could never explain why.

He sat up and looked out the window.

The morning sun reflected across the quiet neighborhood.

"First day of high school," he whispered.

The words felt heavier than they should have.

High school meant new people.

New expectations.

A chance to finally stop being known as the quiet kid from the Gregory family.

Ellian got dressed, grabbed his backpack, and walked downstairs.

"Morning, Ellie," his mother said, placing breakfast on the table.

Ellian smiled.

"Morning."

His father looked up from the news.

The screen showed footage of a hero stopping a criminal downtown.

"Another power incident," his father said. "Seems like every week there's something new."

Ellian watched the screen for a moment.

The hero on television flew above the streets, surrounded by glowing energy.

"Must be strange," Ellian said.

"What?"

"Having everyone know what you can do."

His father smiled slightly.

"Maybe. But powers don't decide who someone is."

Ellian looked down at his breakfast.

He didn't know why that sentence stayed with him.

---

An hour later, Ellian stood outside Gregory High School.

The building was enormous compared to his old school.

Hundreds of students walked through the entrance.

Some looked completely normal.

Others didn't.

A girl walked past carrying books without touching them. They floated beside her.

A boy laughed with friends while sparks jumped between his fingers.

Someone nearby had glowing eyes and was clearly trying to hide them with sunglasses.

Ellian adjusted his backpack.

This was the world he lived in.

A world where everyone was waiting for something extraordinary to happen.

Except him.

"New student?"

Ellian turned.

A boy with messy brown hair stood beside him.

"Yeah," Ellian replied.

"Same. I'm Lucas."

"Ellian."

Lucas looked around the school.

"Pretty crazy, huh?"

Ellian nodded.

"Yeah."

"I heard this school has a lot of students with abilities. Some are training to become heroes."

Ellian looked toward the building.

"Heroes..."

Lucas noticed his expression.

"You interested?"

Ellian hesitated.

"I don't know."

It was true.

He admired heroes.

But something about them also made him uncomfortable.

They were powerful.

Important.

Different.

Ellian had spent his entire life trying not to stand out.

---

The first bell rang.

Students began rushing inside.

Ellian followed the crowd into the building.

He didn't know it yet, but this day would become the beginning of something impossible.

He didn't know that his name would one day be known across the planet.

He didn't know that governments would fear his existence.

He didn't know that some would call him a savior...

And others would call him a threat.

Right now, he was just a fourteen-year-old boy walking into his first day of high school.

---

Classroom 1-A

Ellian took a seat near the window.

The teacher entered and placed a stack of papers on the desk.

"Welcome to Gregory High School. This year will challenge all of you."

The students quieted.

"Some of you may have abilities. Some of you may develop them in the future. Some of you may never have powers at all."

The teacher looked around the room.

"But remember this: your ability does not define your character."

Ellian looked outside the window.

A bird flew across the sky.

For a brief moment, he felt something strange.

A feeling.

Like something far away was calling to him.

Then it disappeared.

Ellian blinked.

"Ellian?"

He looked back.

The teacher was staring at him.

"Sorry."

The class laughed quietly.

Ellian looked down, embarrassed.

He didn't notice the faint glow that briefly appeared beneath his skin.

A glow no one else saw.

Not yet.

---